Saturday, 31 July 2010

The Wedding insurance site compareweddinginsurance.org.uk has announced on the 20th July the results of a study they have been carrying out on wedding insurance sales in the UK.

According to their site "We were shocked to discover that, on average, it would appear that couples buying wedding insurance are underinsuring their weddings by 30 percent!

The study looked at sales of wedding insurance policies purchased between May 2009 and April 2010. For that period, the average cost of a UK wedding was around £17,000 (excluding the cost of a honeymoon). However, the average cancellation cover provided by a wedding insurance policy was just £12,000. That’s an insurance shortfall of £5,000 – around 30 percent of a couple’s overall wedding budget.

While it’s great that so many couples are taking out wedding insurance to provide financial protection for their big day, it’s alarming that so many are underinsuring themselves by such an amount. Should the unthinkable happen and a couple find themselves forced to cancel or postpone their wedding, they may find themselves significantly out of pocket, despite thinking they were financially covered.

There are, of course, a few explanations for this shortfall. It could be the case that couples ultimately spend way more than their initial budget and don’t increase their insurance cover accordingly. Or, they simply don’t insure themselves for the full amount, gambling that they won’t actually need to claim for full cancellation or postponement.

Our wedding insurance comparison table lists many of the UK’s major providers of wedding insurance. It can be sorted by both premium and cancellation cover, helping to find not only a policy that’s value for money, but one that also meets the total wedding budget to be insured."

Friday, 30 July 2010

New landlords who are waiting out the property market by renting out their homes should make sure they have the appropriate insurance.

This is according to one comparison site, which notes that landlord insurance can be bought for under £100 from Simple insurance.

Moneysupermarket.com warns landlords coming into the private rented sector for the first time that they must first ensure they are protected against arrears.

The rise in new landlords is attributed to growing tenant demand, landlords planning to expand their portfolios and increased availability of buy-to-let financing in the market.

In addition, including cover for other contingencies can also save more trouble in the long-term.

Julie Owens, head of insurance at the site, said: "Landlord insurance which includes Rent Guarantee cover or legal expenses can be more expensive, however if things go wrong between a landlord and tenant legal proceedings can involve a hefty cost.

"It is important to have a good contract in place to know where each party stands should the tenant and landlord relationship fall sour."

Thursday, 29 July 2010

A new survey conducted by Ipsos Mori revealed that only a small volume of air passengers think of airline insolvency when booking a ticket. Only five of the 2,072 people polled said that airline insolvency was an issue when booking, despite over 65 airlines collapsing since the start of the recession and huge losses continuing in the airline sector in 2010.

A possible explanation for this reassurance can be attributed to the ever increasing protection provided by travel insurance products. The survey revealed a huge 66% of passengers were aware if their travel insurance policy included financial protection, clearly identifying this cover as being an important factor when selecting insurance requirements.

The survey, carried out in March and commissioned by the Air Transport Users Council (AUC), asked about passengers experience of booking tickets on-line which is an area generally falling outside of the Government’s Air Travel Operators’ Licence (ATOL) protection.

Tellingly, only 8% of the people surveyed said that they would definitely not pay for protection against airline failure, again demonstrating the huge desire for protection.

For travellers who do not have financial failure cover on their travel insurance policies, additional cover is available from Protect my holiday.com

More information about International Passenger Protection Ltd

IPP celebrating 20 years of providing insurance solutions to the travel industryInternational Passenger Protection Limited (IPP) was formed in 1990.IPP is the largest and main supplier of Financial Failure Insurance products for the Travel Sector providing insurances in the UK and world-wide in over 30 countries.IPP operates as an underwriting agency on behalf of insurers and re-insurers who’s combined net worth exceeds Euro 100 BillionProtectmyholiday.com is IPP’s direct sell website to the general public

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

A larger than average and well maintained 1 bedroom furnished first floor apartment situated close to High Wycombe town centre, with easy access to Bucks New University (BNU), Hospital, Eden Shopping Centre and Multiplex and within a short walk of the train station (London Marylebone)is now on the rental market.

It is being let fully furnished from the 23rd September 2010 and offers the following accommodation:

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

ProtectMyHoliday.com, the leading financial protection website for travellers is successfully meeting the gap in cover recently exposed in the vast majority of travel insurance policies.

Independent rating agency Defacto found recently found that 77% of travel insurance products do not provide financial protection leaving millions of travellers exposed to airline, and other end supplier, insolvency during this continued period of economic uncertainty.

Although the CAA arrange the effective ATOL protection, it only applies to bookings where a flight plus another part of the trip are booked with the same operator (where applicable ATOL protection is clearly stated on the booking confirmation).This leaves huge groups of travellers unprotected against bankruptcy and insolvency such as:• Independent travellers• Travellers using other modes of transport other than aeroplanes• People staying with relatives• Business trips

Help is at hand though through the innovative website ProtectMyHoliday.com, which allows travellers to individually tailor financial protection for their trip, including (but not limited to) airlines, hotels, car hire and even theme parks.

‘With over 75 airlines collapsing since the start of the recession plus continued record losses in the airline and travel sectors it is vitally important those travelling outside of ATOL protection get peace of mind against collapses’, explained Michael Ward, Key Account Manager at International Passenger Protection Ltd.

Thursday, 8 July 2010

The newspapers were reporting yesterday that new car sales had soared by 11% in June despite the end of the scrappage scheme in the UK.

Registrations of new vehicles saw their 12th successive month of improvement in June.The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders - SMMT said that new car registrations had increased by 10.8 per cent and 20.4 per cent over the first half of the year.

Business car sales were up as replacement of fleet vehicles had been postponed due to the economic climate. In fact fleet sector registrations are up twenty five per cent compared with same time in 2009. So if you are about to replace your fleet or are looking for insurance for an existing fleet take a look at Motor Fleet insurance on the jml insurance website

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

If you work or send personnel abroad particularly to countries that can be considered as political Hotspots or perhaps civilian contractors to Afghanistan or similar war zones , we can offer the financial security in the event of abduction/recovery and injury or death. Policies are arranged for individuals or groups.

We will make a donation to Help the Heros on every policy sold

Each case is dealt with in the most strict confidence to protect the insured person/persons Cover for VIP's can be arranged.

We will also need to discuss cover details by telephone.

Source: Equity and General Insurance Services

For more information about Equity and General Insurance Services Kidnap and Ransom Insurance please follow this link

If you own a Motor Fleet policy and want to reduce the costs please consider the following points, but also make sure you have the necessary checks in place:

1: Do you have any drivers under 25 years old if so, do you know the amount of excess on top of the policy excess you pay in the event of any claims?

A 17-20 year old driver can attract either a excess which can be double or more than the standard and the insurer may have also increased the premium as well.

2: Do you have a any driver policy?

By increasing the policy to any driver over 25 you may save money

3: Have you any drivers that have convictions? When did you last check all the drivers licences?

By doing a annual check on all drivers licences you can save the problems with non-disclosures of convictions, and its recommended that you write into all employment contracts that these must be available for checking when required and you keep a copy of them on a file. Both copies maybe required by the insurer in the event of an accident.

4: How regularly do you check the vehicles for damage?

By having a schedule to check the vehicles you will save time and know what condition the vehicle is in prior to any claims happening.

5: Do you know how many vehicles you have? Have you sold one recently? Or forgotten to take it off the schedule? Have you added a new van, car or lorry to the policy?

Insurers in most cases charge a rate per vehicle, or rate per type such as one rate per car and another for a Commercial vehicle. They may also charge extra for high performance cars that are added to a fleet. By keeping records you can check that the insurer has added or taken off a vehicle on the correct day if not, did you email the broker or fax them? Transactions involving fleets need to have records and most brokers, insurers will always require something in writing.

Remember, if you don't advise them you have sold a vehicle how do they know! Plus, try to do this as soon as possible as motor insurance can not be back dated just because you forgot. When adding a vehicle make sure you have full details of the make, model, cc and value, also a registration number, as without it you can not be placed on cover.

Certain makes of van's such as Ford Transits have so many variants that unless the full model name and number is known insurers may not cover you until they receive it.New Models of cars may not appear on the insurers lists for a few days, therefore, having the correct information for your Motor Fleet ensures that it can be insured. This applies to all brand new commercial vehicles as well.

6: Uninsured Loss Recovery do you have any included in the Motor Fleet Policy?

This is a separate policy used for recovery of excesses from third parties that have damaged your vehicles, plus in some cases supply a courtesy vehicle, whilst yours is in repair, that is unless your insurer supplies one.

7: If you have a existing Motor Fleet insurance policy did the broker/insurer send you the Motor Fleet claims experience prior to renewal ?

You have a right to see this when the policy is due for renewal, if your broker/insurer does not send it to you then request it as it shows the number of incidents within the last 3 years, claims amounts paid and what is outstanding.

This will be needed should you wish to find alternative insurers at renewal. If its not sent with the renewal notice consider this, is your broker bothering to look for cheaper rates?Or are they deliberately stopping you from looking elsewhere, for alternative insurers. Without it no other insurers are able to offer a quote. Insurers that don't supply this in time are they looking to hold the business or just stopping you finding better rates for your business?

Do you wish to deal with brokers and insurers that stop you from obtaining cheaper rates, obviously you don't so demand that its sent to you in good time.

These are only guidelines but its up to you to check with your insurer or broker.

Monday, 5 July 2010

Samantha Collett, Founder and Director of VirtualLetz.com and Gorgeous Homes Property Management won the coveted award for Women in Property 2010 (West Midlands).

David Salusbury, Chairman, NLA said “The standard of the 2010 entrants has one again been outstanding. Each year the judges are looking for dedicated and inspirational women who regularly go above and beyond”

VirtualLetz.com is designed to bring people and property together and is a leading automated match making service for tenants and landlords. VirtualLetz.com allows tenants and landlords to upload their ‘ads’ which are then matched to property and people. You can create ads, search, contact and be alerted 24/7. As a tenant you can post your ‘property wish list’ and as a landlord you can advertise your property, look for tenants and buy agency services to help you let your property quicker and easier.

Sunday, 4 July 2010

Neil of Equity and General Insurance Services has sent us this clients story regarding obtaining insurance in areas that could be effected by flooding.

This is from a rather happy client who’s dream home was in a flood plain and the house had been underpinned as well so it shattering news that they could buy their dream home until they the right broker !!!

You know how it is.... You see the house you want, and you fall in love with it. Everything was in place - the house had no chain, the finance was affordable, my offer was accepted.... It should have been a real formality to complete. As the sale proceeded, my Conveyancer discovered that the property had been subject to a recent subsidence claim; As a result the mortgage offer was subject to my ability to obtain insurance cover.

At that point I should have pulled out. Like most people, I hear 'subsidence' and think 'trouble' - but luckily my wife, being a clever woman, read the details and explained that it shouldn't be a problem. We were so emotionally sold on the house that we kept going. I contacted a subsidence 'specialist' broker, who told me he couldn't offer a policy, as the claim was so recent, but that the current insurer was obliged to offer cover. It would be ok - people were helping and advising us, and they would know what to do.

Or so I thought.

My financial advisor had been very keen to obtain insurance for me, so I put the matter in her hands - after all, she had access to "all of the market" at her finger tips (she did keep telling me this). Weeks went by..... And the matter was unresolved, and getting nowhere. I went in to her office, because it had become clear that I had to manage this myself. This resulted in several days of personal enquiries, phone calls, emails .... And by now I was worried.

No-one would offer me cover. I would give details, to hear "Oh, I'm sorry - we don't cover that postcode area", or "We only insure over 50's" - and even to get this far I had negotiated the automated phone line, and given the same details three times. My enquires with the current insurer were no better - I just couldn't get past the first hurdle.

My wife and I discussed it that night, and we went to bed pretty much resigned to the thought that we would lose the house.

I couldn't sleep, so at 1am I got up, went on line and started searching again. I saw the website, and decided that yet another enquiry wouldn't hurt.

Neil called me in the morning, and immediately I knew that this would be different. Neil knew exactly what I had been facing, and exactly why - better than that, he knew how to get me the cover that I needed. Finally, after being given the run-around by systems and processes, I was in the hands of someone who knew how to get through it all for MY benefit, and wouldn't give up at the first sign of trouble.

I called my wife; This was a very happy call, as once again the dream is on!

When you think about insurance, it is one of those chores that everyone deals with. Now the internet is a wonderful thing, (its how I found Neil!) and it has certainly changed the way we buy insurance and similar products; Trouble is, when you do not fit the perfect profile in every way, the computer leaves you stranded.

4th July 2010 - EssentialTravel.co.uk has been named the Best Holiday Add-on Site 2010 at the prestigious Travelmole Awards at a ceremony in London.

Essential Travel, a leading provider of travel products, has recently scooped a top accolade as leading travel industry figures voted its website, www.essentialtravel.co.uk, the Best Holiday Add-on Site at the prestigious Travelmole Awards at a ceremony in London.

Nearly 300 people from the travel industry gathered at the awards, which were held at Canada House in Trafalgar Square, London. The Travelmole Awards are now into their eighth year and saw record numbers of companies nominating themselves to be considered for a hotly contested award.

Simon Purnell, Managing Director of Essential Travel, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled with this award. Essential Travel is all about offering travellers great value holiday extras on one website. To be recognised by the travel industry as the Best Holiday Add-on Site is the ultimate accolade for us. Our customers are at the heart of our focus and the team will continue to work hard to deliver exceptional products that make our customers holidays safer, cheaper and easier.”

Essential Travel is owned by Thomas Cook UK & Ireland, which also saw its sustainability website, www.thomascook.com/sustainable-tourism be shortlisted for the Best Responsible Tourism site.

Thomas Cook UK & Ireland is the second largest leisure travel group in the UK with around 19,000 employees, a network of more than 800 high street stores (Thomas Cook and Going Places), leading websites (www.thomascook.com), and some of the world's favourite travel brands.

The 2010 Tour de France started yesterday in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Over the past few years the Tour's start has often been in a different country - England, Ireland, Monaco etc and this year the race is from Saturday July 3rd to Sunday July 25th 2010. The 97th Tour de France will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,642 kilometres.

Although many other countries have bike races around the country, this is the race that get the major media coverage.

What ever of type bike you have - racing - mountain - bike with shopping basket, you need to make sure that you have first class security locks for it and have it insured. There are a list of tips at the Bicycle Insurance section on the jml insurance site at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/products.php?id=18 Information is also available for Endsleigh and Homelet insurance providers.

The Isle of Man TT race is now long over however as unlike with the "pedal bike" Motorcycle insurance is essentially the same as car insurance and carries the same legal requirements in the UK. Whether your bike is a cheap second hand model or a brand new bike You must have it properly insured. Many people suspend the insurance over the winter and put their bike in their garage or shed. Is your bike safe like that? What happens if it catches fire or is stolen when it off the road? Keep your insurance up to date. Find out more at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=19&sec=2 with information from providers like ebikeinsurance - Bikesure motorbike insurance - Quotezone Car Van & Bike Insurance - Devon Direct and more

We are now well into the summer holiday season, many schools in England and Wales have not broken up yet but the UK newspapers are full of reminders about what to take on holiday and how to save money.

The Independent's"The Information" on the 3rd July was suggesting "The 50 Best Travel Essentials". Unfortunately one essential tavel insurancewas not included. Basically the list included anything from a fishing net to the world's smallest hair dryer.

Meanwhile The Guardian had an article "How to save money on holiday" This article contains a list of items from Travel Money, travel insurance, airport car parking and car hire - under the car hire category they suggest that "Always take digital photos of the car when you pick it up – the hire companies tend to catch you on windows, wheels and the undercarriage, so carefully photograph them. At the airport, you'll be told to buy extra insurance at around £10-£15 a day, with grim warnings if you don't. Just ignore them, and buy independent cover before you fly. Two companies specialise in this business – icarhireinsurance.com/ and insurance4carhire.com. Prices start at £39.99 for annual cover in Europe."

It looks like there will still be further media coverage in the next few weeks.

Saturday, 3 July 2010

Boating and sailing is in the news at the moment. We are at the first weekend in July, the weather is really very good and the 2010 Henley Royal Regatta is on now and finishes on Sunday. This event will not attract too much media attention as it clashes with Wimbledon and of course this year there is the world cup as well.

At the end of July till the 7th August is Cowes Week. The Henley Regatta was first held in 1839 and Cowes Week started a little earlier in 1826.

Whether you have a small boat or large yacht you need to make sure it is properly insured. jml-insurance.co.uk have been promoting Nobl Marine's Boat Insurance since 2007.

Noble Marineare specialist insurance brokers providing boat insurance for most types of pleasure craft based in the UK.The great thing about them as they run an on line operation quotations and cover can be provided on-line, any time of day or night, for most classes of Dinghy, Windsurfer, RIB, Speedboat, Narrowboat, Rowing Boat and Jet Ski.

In March this year they issued a "Theft Warning for Dinghy Sailors" - They had noticed a steady rise in the number of incidences of theft from dinghies in Sailing Club compounds. The situation is worse for all One Design classes and the Laser in particular.

The thieves are targeting foils, sails, spars and even fittings attached to the hull.

They suggested that all dinghy owners should:

Leave the minimum amount of equipment with their boatBefore buying second-hand equipment, carefully check the source; especially when buying via the internet or at boat jumble eventsMark all equipment with your boat's sail number

So if you own a pleasure craft or are thinking of buying one, do make sure that it is properly insured.

Thursday, 1 July 2010

This one bedroom ground floor luxury apartment has just come on the sales market and High Wycombe estate agents Philip Green and Partners are marketing it on behalf of the present owner. The asking price is £142,500 - Leasehold

High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire is on the London Marylebone Chiltern Railways train service and this apartment is very conveniently located for those wanting to commute to London. The town is also a very short distance away from the M40 motorway (London to Birmingham). As the apartment is only a short walk from Bucks New University and High Wycombe Hospital it is ideal for owner occupiers or tenants.

If the property was to be let out it would certainly let for over £600 per calendar month and one bedroom apartments always let well in High Wycombe.

The agents describe this property as"An immaculately presented and spacious purpose built, one bedroom, ground floor apartment situated in a popular development and within walking distance of the railway station and Eden shopping centre. The property comprises communal entrance hall, entrance hallway, lounge, fitted kitchen, bathroom, communal gardens and residential parking."

It is aPurpose Built apartment in a small select development and it has a Communal Entrance Hall and Security entry phone.

The Philip Green and Partners details say;(The measurements are approximate and anyone needing more information should contact the agents and also their metric equivalents)

HomeLet has launched a new online facility which will enable letting agents to post feedback, suggest ideas for new products and services and share best practice.

The Lincoln-based lettings insurance specialist has over 3,000 approved agents nationwide and hopes MyConnect, which went live on 28th June, will help them to identify and meet the needs of their customers more effectively.

Letting agents will also be invited to submit new ideas or suggest areas for improvement which will be reviewed by the company’s Consumer Panel, made of up HomeLet employees and customers.

Managing Director John Boyle explained: “MyConnect will be an interactive area dedicated to our approved letting agents. As well as engaging with HomeLet they will be able to talk to each other and share knowledge and ideas with other agents in different parts of the country.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve our offering to customers and strive to listen to what they have to say and act accordingly. The feedback customers give is invaluable because they speak to landlords and tenants on a daily basis.

“MyConnect will make it easier for letting agents to engage with HomeLet whilst enabling them to share ideas with other professionals who work in the same industry but are not in direct competition.”

To measure customer satisfaction HomeLet commissioned a survey in January 2009 and as a result implemented a number of new products and initiatives. They ran the survey again almost 12 months later to determine what impact they had had on customer satisfaction and perceptions of the company.

In the second survey 75 per cent of respondents thought HomeLet communicate well with customers. This was up by 50 per cent on the previous questionnaire while 69 per cent thought the company was innovative - an increase of 42 per cent.

John Boyle explained: “The results of our last survey are proof that HomeLet listens to its customers and values their opinions. Our agents recognise we've been making changes to our products and services. Our efforts to be at the forefront of innovation when it comes to product and process development definitely seem to have paid dividends.

“MyConnect is another example of innovation in action and will complement the other channels of communication we’ve integrated into our business, such as Facebook and Twitter.

“HomeLet has never been more accessible, we believe that listening to our customers and responding effectively is fundamental to maintaining our position as the UK’s market leading provider of tenant referencing and specialist landlords and tenants insurance.”

§ HomeLet is the UK’s largest tenant referencing, Rent Guarantee and specialist insurance provider for the lettings industry and has around 3,000 approved letting agents nationwide.

§ HomeLet pays out an average £3m in Rent Guarantee claims every year.